Typical RV sales behavior

[bacil]

OK, i know this has been mentioned before but i need to put this to my ow perspective and would like to know your opinions.

As i mentioned elsewhere i am currently in Europe sailing and finishing some deals here. So i chose to communicate with some RV dealerships over the email and told them upfront what our plans are.

I have asked 3 of them for details of an RV in this order

1. MHSRV for HR Vacationer 32A - i got response first day, i got their draft of contract and build sheet of the unit. Then asked for several details for which i have never heard back (even though i even agreed to $2k deposit if i like the answers, pending personal visit and review of the unit). This was last Friday

2. RVcountry for HR Navigator XE 35M - i got one response with build sheet, none of my other questions was answered and no response ever since. This was on Monday

3. i94RV for HR Vacationer 32A - one generic answer with link to their website with the pictures (same as on RVtrader) never got any other response back. This was week ago today.

Is this normal ? are they not interested in my business ?

Again from my experience when we have someone interested in purchasing yacht, we would jump through the hoops to answer all their questions and more.

SO it seems really odd behavior from sales people.

[toedtoes]

bacil wrote:
Well i even tried to call MHSRV without any luck either (even waited till after 9pm here which would in their case translate just around noon) and no response apart form the receptionist telling me to wait (i have waited for 5 min and then gave up).

But to mitigate the "scam" i have agreed to put down the deposit even without seeing the unit, so they can be sure i will turn up.

What other options i have ? I cant think of any short of flying there and back.

PS: i am not set on New its just the question of layout, and i haven't found many used ones i would like

Plan your call for around 10 am or 2 pm dealer's time. At noon, all they're thinking about is lunch. Before 10 am, and the late shift staff has just arrived and is settling in; after 2pm, and the early shift is starting to leave.

You might also send an email first with your questions and then add that you will follow up by phone call in two days to discuss. That might help cement you as a serious buyer when you do call to follow up. Be sure to tell the receptionist that you are following up with an email conversation with (insert name of salesman).

[ependydad]

bacil wrote:
2. RVcountry for HR Navigator XE 35M - i got one response with build sheet, none of my other questions was answered and no response ever since. This was on Monday

What's the website for RVcountry? I'm betting I've dealt with them also and had a similar experience.

[bacil]

Ivylog wrote:
I would try dealers in the NE as winter is really cold there. I would call first and explain your situation...serious buyer out of the country until xxx. Once established as a serious buy Email should work for more details.

Already trying this approach with these guys in Grand Rapids so lets see how that goes.

[bacil]

rr2254545 wrote:

wowens79 wrote:
I hate to bring this up, but another thing that maybe working against you is you being offshore. I'd say very few of there customers are offshore, and with the number of email scams that are our there, they may be leery of getting scammed.

X3 I bet this is the case - I encountered many scams over via e-mail when I was in the hotel business and that was years ago - what is not normal will send up red flags in today's world - The best scam was Father Guido from Italy who was trying to get hotels rooms for several nuns at my hotel but they did not have credit cards - he was going to send me a check and I would give them cash - Right

I had many of these too one from US as well, i think Baltimore the guy said he was from, anyway he wanted to book one of our motor yachts form 3 weeks, i said sure we take CC deposit and you will pay reminder on arrival. And then it stated, he made us to run about 5 CC's before it actually gone through, i immediately informed our bank about potential scam, but he kept pestering me that i have to send him half of the charge back using western union. Needles to say that it was scam and we have returned money to rightfull owner and the cards were all disabled to prevent them to use it somewhere else. Anyway what i am saying is that geo location of scam is always the other side of the globe :-)))

[Ivylog]

I would try dealers in the NE as winter is really cold there. I would call first and explain your situation...serious buyer out of the country until xxx. Once established as a serious buy Email should work for more details.

[bacil]

Well i even tried to call MHSRV without any luck either (even waited till after 9pm here which would in their case translate just around noon) and no response apart form the receptionist telling me to wait (i have waited for 5 min and then gave up).

But to mitigate the "scam" i have agreed to put down the deposit even without seeing the unit, so they can be sure i will turn up.

What other options i have ? I cant think of any short of flying there and back.

PS: i am not set on New its just the question of layout, and i haven't found many used ones i would like

[rr2254545]

wowens79 wrote:
I hate to bring this up, but another thing that maybe working against you is you being offshore. I'd say very few of there customers are offshore, and with the number of email scams that are our there, they may be leery of getting scammed.

X3 I bet this is the case - I encountered many scams over via e-mail when I was in the hotel business and that was years ago - what is not normal will send up red flags in today's world - The best scam was Father Guido from Italy who was trying to get hotels rooms for several nuns at my hotel but they did not have credit cards - he was going to send me a check and I would give them cash - Right

[jplante4]

wowens79 wrote:
I hate to bring this up, but another thing that maybe working against you is you being offshore. I'd say very few of there customers are offshore, and with the number of email scams that are our there, they may be leery of getting scammed.

I have to agree with this. I think you'd have better luck actually talking to a person at a dealership. This would let the sales person know that you are a serious buyer and not just kicking tires from another country.

Too bad you're going new. I know of several nice used coaches for sale around me and on the Safari forums.

[wowens79]

I hate to bring this up, but another thing that maybe working against you is you being offshore. I'd say very few of there customers are offshore, and with the number of email scams that are our there, they may be leery of getting scammed.

[minnow]

Well Ralph then let's just chalk it up to laziness on the part of the dealerships then as to why none of the OP's contacts have shown much interest in making a sale.

[Ralph_Cramden]

minnow wrote:
RV sales are at a record pace. Dealerships are selling plenty of RV's to customers that walk in their doors. They don't need to sell an RV to someone via correspondence and will not make the effort to answer questions. Frankly, they don't need your business.

I agree with the first part, but the second is open to debate. I can not pass an RV dealer without stopping and It's not really like you have people standing in line at the door at any I happen to visit. They (some) may be crowded on a Saturday, but during the week it's not gangbusters at any I am aware of.

Sure, they and the RVIA want you to think that, as its in their favor.
The reality of it is the RV Industry shipped around 504K RV's in 2017.
But then again they shipped 390K in 06, and 390K in 78. In 1978 the US population was 220 million, and in 2017 it was roughly 324 million.

Morning math LOL.

220,000,000 / 390,000 = 1 RV sold for every 564 people 1978
324,000,000 / 504,000 = 1 RV sold for every 642 people 2017

Add to that, going by an iffy number (data from an article at RVDaily in 2015), there are/were somewhere in the neighborhood of 2332 RV dealers in the US.(2200 of them Camping World lol) 504,000 / 2332 is 216 sales per year per dealer if it worked that way which it doesn't. Add Canadian dealers into that mix also. Its not like these RV dealers are selling 10 or 20 a day every day like SUV's and pickups down at Billy Bobs Interstate Mega Ford Super Store.

That does not help the OP at all, but IMO this whole RV boom thing is hopped up, and is one very small economic bump from implosion.

[bacil]

valhalla360 wrote:

Over on the cruiser forum you get the exact same complaints about brokers not responding on boats. Yeah, it's pretty normal when you start asking detailed questions.

Thats good news 🙂 maybe we have chance to grab bit of market with the customer approach i am pushing for ;-))))). I would terminate my sales person if he/she wouldn't respond on sales request and didn't follow through with lead until its either loss or win. 🙂

valhalla360 wrote:

Given the email/overseas issue that you started with, my bet is they are focused on the guy sitting right in front of them ready to sign paperwork. That beats out an offer to put down a deposit...if you like their response. The guy sitting in front of them waving $100 bills gets first attention.

I understand that it is a issue, but again i don't need their demo unit i am interested in given config so i believe they have some on order (like we have boats) and have some delivery dates that they can work with. And i have been clear upfront that we can be flexible and have enough time to work all this out.

Which actually bings another questions, what are the delivery dates on new orders ? Is it like with Bavarias 3-8 months delivery (own config) ? or is it more like with Lagoon with 1 - 2 years wait ?

[valhalla360]

bacil wrote:
OK, i know this has been mentioned before but i need to put this to my ow perspective and would like to know your opinions.

As i mentioned elsewhere i am currently in Europe sailing and finishing some deals here. So i chose to communicate with some RV dealerships over the email and told them upfront what our plans are.

I have asked 3 of them for details of an RV in this order

1. MHSRV for HR Vacationer 32A - i got response first day, i got their draft of contract and build sheet of the unit. Then asked for several details for which i have never heard back (even though i even agreed to $2k deposit if i like the answers, pending personal visit and review of the unit). This was last Friday

2. RVcountry for HR Navigator XE 35M - i got one response with build sheet, none of my other questions was answered and no response ever since. This was on Monday

3. i94RV for HR Vacationer 32A - one generic answer with link to their website with the pictures (same as on RVtrader) never got any other response back. This was week ago today.

Is this normal ? are they not interested in my business ?

Again from my experience when we have someone interested in purchasing yacht, we would jump through the hoops to answer all their questions and more.

SO it seems really odd behavior from sales people.

Over on the cruiser forum you get the exact same complaints about brokers not responding on boats. Yeah, it's pretty normal when you start asking detailed questions.

Given the email/overseas issue that you started with, my bet is they are focused on the guy sitting right in front of them ready to sign paperwork. That beats out an offer to put down a deposit...if you like their response. The guy sitting in front of them waving $100 bills gets first attention.

[GordonThree]

The more Northern dealers should be more responsive. We're having a long hard winter in the North, very few will be thinking RV right now.

Try some dealers in Michigan or Wisconsin.

[kerrlakeRoo]

Not familar with the dealers you mentioned but they are all starting to see this years crop of customers and the one in the store will tend to draw the most attention. Have to agree with some of the others. Since you are looking at Holiday Rambler, try an inquiry with
www.rv007.com
On the "contact us" make your inquiry and ask for James Silvey, he has been very open and helpful with us. or JAMESRV007 on facebook.
And with them you shouldn't have too many surprises, all pricing is upfront and no add on fees at the last minute.